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Editor Interview: The Tiger Moth Review

Q: Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.

A: Eco-conscious art & lit

Q: What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?

A: Local publishers like Ethos Books, Singapore who publish because they believe in the work of their writers and the importance of literature, even if they don't make money off it.

Q: If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?

A: Some of my favourite writers include Eavan Boland, Joy Harjo, Li-Young Lee, Linda Gregg, Ayn Rand, Grace Nichols, Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, J. D. Salinger & Edgar Allan Poe. As to artists, two of my favourite are Salvador Dali and Leonid Afremov.

Q: What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?

A: Firstly, The Tiger Moth Review is unique in its niche of publishing eco-conscious poetry, prose, art and photography.
Secondly, the journal places emphasis on representing as diverse an ecology of voices as possible, accepting works in translation.
Thirdly, we believe in the value of intertextuality, which is why each issue is curated to reflect the relationship and resonances between literary and visual art.
Finally, while our mission is to prioritise work from Singapore and Asia at large, we are interested in delving into concerns and issues that are shared across cultures, hence the work we publish are glocal in nature.

Q: What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?

A: Take the time to read up about the journal carefully. Pore over past issues to get a better understanding of the style and type of work that has been published so far. Pay attention to submission guidelines, and follow them. Be respectful and professional in all dealings.

Q: What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

A: I have had submissions of entire manuscripts, or work that does not engage with the aforementioned themes. Incomplete submissions are another problem, which all reflects poorly on the submitters in terms of their attitude and professionalism.

Q: If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?

A: As a poet and seasoned reader, it's easy to tell if a submission is promising from reading the first few lines. That said, I do each submission due diligence and read each submission the way I would want my work to be read, to the end, sometimes few times over.
As an editor-in-chief and curator, I also read works in relation to the issue, considering the ways each individual piece speaks when read in relation to the other submissions.

Q: What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?

A: As a woman and ethnic minority in Singapore, I created The Tiger Moth Review with specific objectives in mind, one of which was to create a space for diverse voices to engage with nature, culture, the environment and ecology. Hence, while the quality of submissions take precedence, I do pay attention to representation in terms of each submitter's place of origin/ residence and their identity markers (gender, ethnicity, class, etc.) so that each issue, I create spaces for a range of voices with intention and purpose, with the goal to include and diversify.

Q: How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?

A: Editing encompasses both micro and macro levels. For a submission to be considered for publication, it should more or less be of a certain standard in terms of its literary and artistic merits. I read a work for its clarity and style (imagery, theme, stylistics) while paying attention to line breaks and rhythm (for poetry), before zooming in on the nitty gritty like grammar, spelling and punctuation. I usually highlight certain lines or phrases that need to be honed, and suggest that writers consider editing them themselves first. At times, I offer further suggestions after revisions come back to me, if they still don't quite work. The process is collaborative, and what's important is striking a balance between editorial input and the writer's voice.